OSAKA -- area code (81-6)

Osaka is a modern metropolis sprung up around a Shogun's castle that rises imposingly from its peach and plum blossom heart. Japanese say that the most handsome men in the region migrate to Osaka. The big city does provide anonymity for gays who flee the "small town" nosiness of metropolitan surroundings including Kobe and Kyoto when they want to relax. There are plenty of hunky country lads and city slick angels to meet. Much of the scene takes place around the transportation hub where trains, the local subway and the bus terminal to the international airport intersect.

Osaka's gay scene feels more friendly and international that Tokyo's. A decade of economic contraction in Japan has wiped out many small businesses, gay bars included. The clubs that remain now welcome a broader mix of guests, even women and straights, rather than the highly specialized clientele typical in the past. In Osaka, things have remained fairly stable with a few places closing and a few new clubs opening to take their place. As always there are hundreds of Japanese-only gay bars around, but the places listed here are where visitors and foreigners living in Japan can meet up with locals for fun.

The population of metropolitan Osaka is over 17 million (that's almost 700,000 Utopians).

• Lesbian listings
• Men in Osaka message forum
• Osaka Gay Scene Updates message forum
• Osaka is a great place to visit in Japan, and there are plenty of vacation deals for those willing to travel on off peak times. You can usually find last minute hotel deals for weekend trips, while cruise deals usually have to be booked a little further in advance.

The updated and expanded 2nd Edition of the Utopia Guide to Japan surveys the gay and lesbian scene in 27 cities including Tokyo, Kyoto, Nagoya and Hiroshima. Listings include organizations, bars, discos, accommodations, spas, restaurants, and more. A special section highlights venues that are especially welcoming for women. Enjoy savvy comments and recommendations from local Utopians and gay travelers, as well as maps and addresses in Japanese. Click here to order

• Kansai Rainbow Parade
  Organizers of of this Osaka and vicinity pride event.
  
  

Click here for Osaka hotels and accommodations.

Click here for Osaka bars and clubs.

Click here for Osaka discos.

• Act III shopping area and facilities, near the gay bars in Doyama-cho.
• Higashi Umeda Rose Theater
  Shin-Midou Street (close to the gay bars in Doyama-cho). Gay movies, plus occasional "Young Rose Guy Show".
• Sakuranomiya Park
  Across from Sakuranomiya Station on the Loop Line, south of the bridge. Active cruising area after midnight.

One of the specialties of Osaka cuisine is okonomiyaki, a kind of jumbo vegetable pancake with a variety of fillings that is cooked right at your table or on stove-top counters. This is no-frills dining, perfect for a late night snack and a beer or two. There is an easy-to-find okonomiyaki shop right on the corner as you turn at Fine love motel to get to Physique and Explosion (see our map under Bars & Clubs).
• Do With Café (DWC) (mixed)
  B1 Jyuraku Bld, 9-23 Toganochyo, Kita-ku, 6312-1788. Upscale venue often has drag events and draws a mixed crowd of all ages.

Click here for Osaka saunas for men.

• Just Rainbow Shop
  Doyama-cho (see map). Gay shop with books, DVDs, toys and gifts.
• Lockerroom
  Doyama-cho.